Ski Trip
by Anna Jamisen
Summary: Michelle and Tony go on a ski trip together in Colorado. Will this change everything? Post season 2. INCOMPLETE
1. Crashing Vacation

"Dessler." she answered as she walked across the floor to her station.

"You busy next week?" came the sultry voice from the other end of the phone.

"It's my vacation, you know that." she replied as she sat at her desk.

"Well, I had a nice, long conversation with that pain-in-the-ass director, Almeida I think his name is, anyway, he gave me the week off as well." he stated matter-of-factly. She smiled and turned to look towards that office where her man was sure to be sitting. "Do you mind if I crash your vacation?" he asked, knowing full well what her answer would be. He looked down at her, raising an eyebrow in question. She turned away, trying to hide her excitement. However, she failed miserably and she knew it.

"Did you have something in mind?" she asked, wondering what he could possibly have planned. They'd been together for almost seven months now, and just how this man could have such an effect over her rationality never ceased to amaze her.

He nervously prepared himself and asked her to take a big step. "Would you like to go away with me?" She froze and felt herself go pale. Was he asking her to spend the week with him? She tried to play hard to get, not sure of whether or not she would succeed.

"Go with you where?" she questioned. They had never even spent the night together, and now he wanted them to be together for a whole week. She shivered with anticipation.

"It's a surprise." he joked.

"Tony!" she whispered sternly.

"Okay. My sister owns a cabin in Colorado. It's really beautiful up there, and it's not too far away from a ski resort. She said that it was ours for the week if we wanted it. They just came back on Tuesday." he explained.

"I don't know how to ski." she complained.

"I'll teach you. They rent equipment and everything. There's an ice-skating rink and an indoor pool. And her cabin has a hot tub." He was trying to bait her, and he knew the hot tub would grab her attention.

"Can they deal with both of us being gone?" she asked, not very concerned for her coworkers, but wanting to make sure that them leaving for the week was a possibility.

"Yeah, Jack said he could take over for me for the week, and Chappelle's going to be here anyway doing interviews. They said they'd be able to handle it."

It looked like he had all the bases covered. "Okay." she agreed. "When do we leave?"


	2. I Will Survive

Michelle was woken by a knock at her door the next morning. She rolled over to take a peek at the clock, and groaned as she got up and made her way to the door. Opening it, she looked at the man who had awoken her with agitation. "It's 6:37. What's with the bags?" All anger she may have been experiencing was soon put to rest as she noticed the two brown bags in her boyfriend's arms.

"We need to leave at nine if we're going to get there by tonight. I figured I'd make you breakfast." he explained. "Are you going to let me in, or am I frying these eggs in the hallway?" She stepped to the side, slightly dumbfounded, and allowed him entry to her apartment. He made his way to her kitchen as he had so many times before and laid down the bags, quickly beginning to empty them.

She yawned and padded over to the coffeemaker, turning it on and waiting for the percolator to begin. "So, seeing as how I'm useless in the kitchen, do you mind if I go back to bed?" she asked between yawns. He had interrupted her beauty sleep, and she had every intention on heading right back to it.

"Why don't you take a nice, long shower while I get started in here?" he suggested. Although she wanted to argue she decided against it and instead walked wordlessly down the hall to the bathroom.

Tony chuckled to himself. How well he knew this woman was obvious, and yet there was so much he still had to learn about her. He pulled out two frying pans and turned the heat to the stove on before dropping a tablespoon of butter in each. He diced the potatoes quietly and dropped them into one pan before cracking four eggs and releasing them into the other. He pulled out her milk and whisked some in while flipping the taters. If there was one skill he had, it was in the kitchen. He was fairly good at multi-tasking, so the process came easily to him. He shoved a few pieces of bread into the toaster before trying to figure out this new microwavable bacon he found that morning.

Meanwhile, Michelle hopped herself into the shower, quickly regretting having not checked to see if the water was warm. She yelped and turned the heat up, finally letting the warm water awaken her. She rinsed her hair but decided not to put anything into it she would need to spend an hour taming it if she did. It tended to poof when she used shampoo or conditioner, so today she settled with getting it wet. It was clean anyway. She washed herself off quickly, knowing that if she didn't leave the shower soon she never would. Michelle hopped out; towel dried her hair, and left the bathroom.

She was incredibly comfortable having Tony in her apartment with her, and didn't think a thing of walking down the hall naked with him a room away. Although they had never slept together, they were never nervous around one another she trusted him. Maybe she thought sex would complicate things, but she knew that Tony wasn't ready and Tony knew she was timid about it. They left it at that. Not that she hadn't wanted to be with him she had but both of them were too happy together to try and screw it up with sex. He had said to her that it would happen when it was supposed to, and they hadn't spoken of it yet. Both were completely content lying on the couch together watching a movie.

Michelle quickly dressed in a t-shirt and jeans and ambled down to the kitchen. And there in front of her was the funniest thing she had ever seen.

Tony had found the radio.

He danced around the kitchen, spatula in hand, using it as a microphone. "At first I was afraid, I was petrified, to think that I could ever live without you by my side!" He sang along to the track while flipping the eggs and buttering the toast, switching the spatu-mic for a knife. "And now you're back from outer space. I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face." He shook his hips and made some of the cutest facial expressions Michelle had ever seen. She couldn't help but laugh out loud. Tony turned and saw her, thoroughly embarrassed. His face turned red and he quickly turned back to the toast.

"Oh no! Baby, please continue!" Michelle reached out and picked up the whisk, singing along with the lyrics. "I've got all my life to live, and I've got all my love to give," she began singing, bobbing her head up and down to the music and getting her other hand into it as if she were twirling a microphone cable. This time Tony was the one laughing as they both belted out the end of the chorus: "I will survive. Hey! Hey!" Michelle started moving her hips and dancing around the kitchen as the instrumental part came on, and Tony laughed at her and egged her on. Her hair flew in every direction and he quickly ran over to her and lifted her over his shoulder, smacking her smartly on the bottom. She shrieked and started kicking, both of them laughing so hard it hurt. He set her down on the counter and pushed her hair out of her face before kissing her softly on the lips.

"You're silly." he complimented, still trying to tame her hair.

"You started it!" she accused, a huge smile still on her face. "Now be careful of your eggs."

"I've never burned an egg yet!" he bragged, walking back over to the stove. "That was a quick shower." he noticed.

"The cold water woke me right up." she replied, picking a piece of bacon up off the paper next to her and sticking the end in her mouth. Tony gave her a curious look.

"Is that what the shriek was?" he asked coyly.

"It was an accident!" she cried, pulling half of the bacon out of her mouth. "It scared the crap out of me though. Although, I must say, not as much as the little number I just caught in here." she continued with good-natured sarcasm.

"I wasn't alone." he reminded, pulling two plates out of the cabinet and throwing the toast on them. "Besides, I'm pretty sexy. You didn't mind." he convinced her.

"Oh, no, you see, I have sexy divas in my kitchen all the time. One of them happens to be myself." she joked, hopping off the counter and waltzing to the fridge to grab the orange juice.

"Oh, yeah, well," Tony stopped in his tracks. "Did you just call me a diva?" he asked.

"You _were_ singing, 'I Will Survive.'" Tony laughed again, scooping the eggs out of the pan.

"I guess we need to go tiara shopping!" he cried in an extremely feminine voice. Michelle laughed and took the plate that he handed to her, carrying it to the table and sitting down.

"It's only seven thirty?" she exclaimed with disbelief as she glanced at her watch.

"Yeah…you got out of the shower faster than I expected." he replied with sass.

"I didn't do it on purpose." she complained. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Eat your eggs."


	3. No Winter Clothes

"Will this be okay?" Michelle asked, pulling a black skirt out of her closet. She was trying to decide on what she should pack, and Tony was making a small attempt to help her. He was lying sideways on her bed, half of her wardrobe spewed all around him.

"Sure. You'll give the squirrels quite a show." Michelle threw the skirt at him and he laughed. "Don't you have any pants? Or Sweatpants?" he asked, picking up several items off the bed and throwing them aimlessly behind him. Michelle hurried over to her dresser and pulled out two pairs of sweatpants and two pairs of jeans.

"Will these work?" she asked, chucking them in his direction.

"Is there a reason why you didn't pull these out first?" he asked sarcastically.

"Shut up. Just, go through that for me." she demanded, pointing to the dresser. "I've got a few more things I need to grab." Tony pulled himself off her bed and opened the bottom drawer of her dresser, pulling out two turtlenecks and a sweatshirt.

"'I don't have any winter clothes'?" he mocked, holding up his latest findings.

"I forgot about those!" she exclaimed. He chucked and tossed them on the bed. "Great. Thanks sweet!" Michelle gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before skipping into the bathroom, coming out with a plastic bag full of beauty products.

"Michelle, you won't need makeup up there." he joked.

"This is just some stuff for my hair. If it's damp up there I'll turn into a yeti." she explained. Tony laughed. He was completely dumbfounded at Michelle's comment. "Plus, I have dry skin so I had to pack some eczema cream." she tried to continue over Tony's howls. "Oh, be quiet!" she cried with frustration. Tony ran over and picked her up again, this time dropping her on the bed and landing on top of her. They both quickly grew serious and stared at one another for a moment, their faces only inches away, bodies pressed up against each other. They both knew that they needed to talk. There couldn't be any confusion.

"Michelle, I hope you don't think that I'm taking you away this week so that you'll sleep with me. That's not it." he explained, playing with several of her curls.

"Okay. But we really do need to talk about that." she agreed.

"I know. We will." he promised.

"Should I... umm… bring… protection? Just in case?" she asked rather nervously.

"No, I uhh… I took care of that." Michelle sighed and smiled, and Tony kissed her on the forehead. "Come on, let's get this stuff packed and get out of here. It's almost 8:30." he suggested, getting up off of her and grabbing the blue dress that hung on a nearby chair. "Now, da'ling, I think this would look absolutely dee viinee on me. Don't you think?" Michelle laughed and grabbed the red gown on the bed next to her.

"No sugar, this one will bring out the color in your eyes!"


	4. Snowpeople

They left at quarter to nine, Tony driving his car with Michelle sitting next to him in the passenger seat. It was a 15 hour drive it would have been faster to fly but it was a good way to spend time together. Michelle's window was down and her hair was flying everywhere. She giggled while trying to fix it. Tony looked at her through his sunglasses, chuckling and trying to assist her. "Keep your eyes on the road!" she screamed, and he swerved to give her a scare. "Tony! Don't you dare!" He laughed and grabbed her hand, pulling it up to his face and kissing it. She smiled sweetly and rolled her window up. Tony turned on the radio and laughed at the song.

"Oh…" he scoffed. "Let's … let's stay together… Loving you whether…whether…" Michelle laughed at Tony's Al Green and joined in with him.

"Times are good, or bad, happy or sad…" Michelle sang. "Oh my…"

"Why are you sighing? I have a lovely singing voice!" he bragged facetiously.

"Yes! You make a wonderful black man, baby!" she cried, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek.

"Ahh, I love when you call me baby."

They switched driving about eight hours later, with Tony desperately trying to give Michelle directions and intermittently offering to drive.

"Do you want me to drive?" he asked for the twelfth time.

"I've got it! Now left or right?" she questioned as she came to an intersection.

"Right." She turned on her left handed blinker. "Your other right, Michelle."

"Oops!" she cried, switching her blinker and checking over her shoulder so she could switch lanes.

"Women drivers!" he complained sarcastically. She opened her mouth and gaped at him while waiting to turn.

"Excuse me?" she asked in a mock serious tone.

"Nothing, my darling." he kissed up. She reached over and smacked him in the arm, and he cried out in fake pain. "Oh! That hurt so much!"

"Shut up and give me the directions!" she yelled, pulling up to a stop sign.

"Left, on the left. Other left."

About half an hour later they arrived at the cabin. Michelle hopped out of the drivers' seat and ran around to the trunk while Tony unlocked the front door. She pulled out the bags and set them on the ground before closing the trunk.

"It's cold!" she whined, wrapping her arms around her body.

"What did you expect?" he asked, lifting the bags off the ground and leading the way towards the cabin. "Why aren't you wearing a jacket?" he asked, pushing the door opened and dropping the bags next to the sofa.

"I didn't think of it. It's cold in here too!" she complained.

"I know. I'll get the heat. Hang on." Michelle looked around. The "cabin" looked more like a condo, with crème walls and fancy furniture. It was almost like a penthouse suite. She walked down the two steps to the center area, noticing the electric fireplace on the back wall. She walked over to the window, glancing out at the beautiful view of the mountains. Tony reentered the room and walked over to Michelle, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "What do you think?" he asked, his face close to hers.

"It's beautiful, Tony. I love it here." she whispered before yawning widely. Tony smirked and kissed her on the cheek.

"Come on, I'll make some cocoa to warm you up. You're a snowman." he teased, pulling away. Michelle turned around and eyed him. "Sorry, snowwoman."


	5. Cocca

Michelle curled herself up on the couch with her cocoa watching as Tony piled some wood in the fireplace and attempted to start a fire. She giggled at his lack of common sense.

"I'm glad you think this is funny." he snapped playfully, watching another match go out.

"You need to put some newspaper in it so the logs will light." she explained. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked over his shoulder.

"How do you know that?" he asked, crinkling up the newspaper.

"I spent my childhood in Chicago. My father used the fireplace constantly." she explained.

"It can get a little chilly up there." he responded, staring at the now growing fire.

"You could say that again." she responded. Tony strode back to the couch and sat down next to Michele. She cuddled up close to him and took another sip of her cocoa. Tony wrapped his arm around her back and kissed the top of her head.

"This is nice." she whispered, staring into the now roaring fire. She laid her head back on his chest and rested her full hands on his leg. "I could stay here all week."

"You're not getting off that easy." he teased. "I'm teaching you how to ski, whether you like it or not."

"Fine." she consented before letting out a long yawn.

"Tired sweetie?" he asked, removing her mug and taking a sip.

"Mmmm, hmmm." she moaned, stretching her arms.

"Let's get you to bed then." he suggested. She didn't argue. Tony placed the mug on the table and climbed out from underneath his girlfriend. He lifted Michelle gently into his arms and carried her down the hallway to the bedroom. She smiled at him as he let her down and covered her in the blankets.

"Goodnight Michelle." he whispered, kissing her on the forehead. She smiled sweetly and whispered 'goodnight' back to him. Tony stood and walked back through the door.

"Wait!" she called after him.

"What is it?" he asked, turning back around.

"Where are you sleeping?" she questioned, propping herself up on her elbows.

"On the couch. It folds out." he explained. She frowned at him. "Why, where do you want me to sleep?" he asked, walking over and sitting on the bed next to her.

"In here." she replied with the adamancy of a two year old.

"Okay, if you say so…"he agreed, kissing her softly on the lips. "Just let me go put out the fire." he deferred.

"Okay." she whispered, falling heavily back on the pillows. She smiled as Tony marched back into the bedroom and curled up next to her in the bed and grabbed her hand, entwining his fingers with hers.

He smiled shyly at her as she reached for the bottom of his shirt. He obliged and pulled it over his head, laying half naked beside her. She kissed his fingers and closed her eyes, finally allowing herself to drift off to sleep.


	6. Groggy Wookie

"Good morning, sleepy head." Tony called over his shoulder as Michelle entered the kitchen. She lazily rubbed her eyes and plopped down in a chair at the table. Tony was busy making breakfast, flipping eggs and buttering toast. Michelle groaned and let her head flop down on the table, staring in his direction. He was already dressed, wearing a wool turtleneck and blue jeans that hugged his butt. She couldn't help but smile.

"Mmmm, what are oo ooin upp ohh earlay?" she asked, yawning in the middle of the sentence.

"Well, we have a long day ahead of us, so I figured I'd get an early start and make some breakfast." he explained, turning from the counter with two full plates in his hands. He set one down on the other end of the table and looked with adoring eyes upon the pitiful creature in front of him. She was a mass of curls, and if he didn't know any better he would have thought a wookie had decided to take a nap on the kithen table.

"I can't very well serve this on top of your head." he hinted. She picked her head up and smirked at him, allowing him to deposit the solid cholesterol on the placemat in front of her.

"Thank you. And it's your own fault if you have to drag me around all day. Getting me up this early." she muttered under her breath.

"Didn't you sleep well?" he asked, pouring coffee into two cup sitting on the table.

"I slept great. Just not for very long." she complained, giving him a grateful look for the coffee now sitting in her mug.

"Michelle, we slept for at least six hours." he observed, looking at his watch while carrying over the milk carton. Michelle's face landed in her hands.

"I usually sleep eight or nine. I'm still deprived." she continued, pouring some milk into the cup between yawns.

"Nothing some coffee can't cure." he assured her, sitting across the table and mixing some sugar into his mug.

"You could say that again." she replied, taking a sip of her coffee. "Mmmm, thank you for mking breakfast. It smells wonderful."

"Dig in. You'll need the energy."

"Oh really?" she questioned sarcastically. "Sweetheart, if eggs and bacon could make up for two hours of missed sleep, I'd eat them every morning. Unfortunately, they aren't miracle workers."

"Plus you can't cook." he retorted.

"And that."


End file.
